In CNET Labs' productivity tests, the XPS M140 outperformed the competition. It ran 33 percent faster than the Pavilion dv1000 and 37 percent faster than the VAIO FS680. However, each of those laptops carried slower processors and other inferior parts, and the HP costs considerably less than the XPS M140. Given the XPS M140's subpar graphics engine, it's no surprise that it earned extraslow gaming scores on Doom 3 (5.3 frames per second (fps)) and Unreal Tournament 2004 (16.38fps). That said, aside from gaming, there's virtually no productivity or entertainment task that the XPS M140 can't handle.
The XPS M140's big nine-cell battery triumphed in our drain tests, lasting just a bit less than 6 hours. In contrast, the VAIO FS680 fizzled after only 2 hours, 14 minutes, while the Pavilion dv1000 and the ThinkPad Z60t each ran for slightly more than 4 hours.
Like most home and small-office laptops, the XPS M140 ships with a one-year warranty and mail-in service. You also get toll-free, 24/7 tech support for a year. The company's well-organized support Web site provides lots of useful help options, such as checkup and troubleshooting tools, driver downloads, user forums, and real-time chat with a Dell tech-support rep.
For more detailed information about warranties and service plans, check out Computer Shopper's overview of 37 major computer vendors.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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BAPCo's MobileMark 2002 performance rating |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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BAPCo's MobileMark 2002 battery-life minutes |
Find out more about how we test Windows notebooks.
System configurations:
Dell XPS M140
Windows XP Media Center; 2.13GHz Intel Pentium M 770; 1GB DDR2 SDRAM PC3200 533MHz; Mobile Intel 915GM/GMS, 910GML Express chipset 128MB; Hitachi Travelstar 5K100 80GB 5,400rpm
HP Pavilion dv1000
Windows XP Home; 1.5GHz Intel Pentium M 760; 512MB DDR SDRAM PC2100 266MHz; Intel 82852/82855 GM/GME up to 64MB; Fujitsu MHT2080AT PL 80GB 4,200rpm
Sony VAIO VGN-FS680
Windows XP Home; 1.86GHz Intel Pentium M 750; 1GB DDR SDRAM PC2700 333MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 6200 128MB; Fujitsu MHU2100AT 100GB 4,200rpm
What You'll Pay
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